This fall favorite welcomes the changing of the leaves, the crispness in the air and the need to be nestled inside.
These are a hit with my whole family and make for an easy breakfast paired with these green smoothies or these yogurt, fruit, granola parfaits.When the kids were younger, I used to tell them I made them "cupcakes" (healthy muffins) and "milkshakes" (smoothies) - oh, the days when I could still "trick" them into making healthy food choices.
These are delicious and make your house smell of the spicy goodness that fall brings each year.
Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins
Ingredients:
Topping:
1/4 cup sugar (I've used both white and brown successfully.)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. butter
2 Tab. flour
Batter:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (I have created a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice as a sub.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix together 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring just barely to moisten (a lumpy batter is desirable with muffins). Fold in apples.
3. Spoon into muffin cups, (my favorite are Demarle flexipan muffin trays as they don't need to be greased or lined with paper liners and bake evenly) muffin trays or muffin tins that are greased or lined with paper liners.
4. For streusal topping, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over muffin batter.
5. For regular muffins, bake for 15-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted, comes out clean.
Makes 24 regular muffins.
As a variation, you can spoon the batter into a 10 inch greaased tube pan, sprinkle the streusel on the top and bake at 350 degrees for just under an hour for a coffee cake version.
